Women's History Month 2012

"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them." - Sojourner Truth, Aint I a Woman?

The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education is proud to celebrate the achivements of 31 extraordinary women, one for each day of Women's History Month - March 2012. Each of these women have been changemakers in their societies through their contributions in the fields of letters, journalism, and activism.

This is by no means a definitive or exhaustive listing. It’s a starting point for learning, comment and discussion during Women's History Month - March, 2012. Be heard. Tell us what you think and what we can learn!

Margaret Abraham has been involved in research and activism in the field of domestic violence in the South Asian immigrant community for nearly 20 years. She received the The Sydney S. Spivack Program in Applied Social Research and Social Policy...more »

Jill Abramson is the executive editor of The New York Times. She succeeded Bill Keller on September 6, 2011, becoming the first woman to hold that position.Ms. Abramson was previously the managing editor, a position she held since 2003. As managing...more »

Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and...more »

Concepción Arenal was a Spanish feminist writer and activist.Born in Ferrol, Galicia, she excelled in literature and was the first woman to attend university in Spain. She was also a pioneer and founder of the feminist movement in Spain.Arenal and...more »

Marilou Awiakta is an Eastern Band Cherokee author. She is renowned for writing several books that blend stories, essays and poetry. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1958 receiving a B.A. magna cum laude, in both English and French...more »

Lynda Barry is an American cartoonist and author. One of the most successful non-mainstream American cartoonists, Barry is perhaps best known for her weekly comic strip Ernie Pook's Comeek. Barry's cartoons often view family life from the...more »

Lan Samantha Chang is an American writer of novels and short stories. She is Professor of English at the University of Iowa and Director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop.Samantha Chang was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, the daughter of Chinese parents...more »

Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis emerged as a nationally prominent activist in the 1960s, when she was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Black Panther Party. Prisoner rights have been among her...more »

Julia Constancia Burgos García is considered by many as the greatest poet born in Puerto Rico, and, along with Gabriela Mistral, one of the greatest female poets of Latin America. She was also an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico, and an...more »

Marquita was a producer for CBS News for more than thirty years. She was a senior producer for duPont-Columbia Award winning broadcast, Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt and Charles Osgood for sixteen years. Her Emmy Award winning assignments...more »